In the prior art, various fastening systems have been employed for fastening the waistband of a disposable diaper around the waist of the wearer. The fastening device generally includes side tabs attached to the ears of the garment in the rear waistband. The rear waistband overlaps the front waistband as the article is placed on the body of the user and the tabs are fastened onto the front waistband portion holding the garment in snug encircling fashion on the torso. After the garment is soiled, it is removed by unfastening the tabs opening the waist.
Fastening systems heretofore in use have included adhesive fastening, such as shown, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,180,355; 3,630,201; 4,047,530; 4,049,001; 4,050,453 and French Patent 7,436,169. The fastening device generally comprises an adhesive tab attached to the outer (backing) sheet of the diaper at the rear portion and the active adhesive surface of the tab is stuck onto another portion of the backing sheet surface near the front portion thereby closing the diaper. The adhesive system for the primary fastening system of the waistband around the wearer is susceptible to contamination of either the adhesive tab surface or the cover surface to which the adhesive tab is applied. Recently, mechanical closure systems have been devised using hook (e.g. "mushroom") and loop (for example, Velcro.RTM.) fasteners for closure of the waistband, such as is set forth by French Patent No. 2,594,650 and EP 0 276 970 A2. In a copending U.S. application, Ser. No. 089,660, filed Aug. 25, 1987, owned by the assignee of the present invention, a mechanical fastener system is disclosed for fastening the leg openings of the garment at its sides extending downwardly from the waistband to enclose the legs and seal the garment around the legs and provide neat and trim fit. This system utilized a mechanical fastener system Comprised of a combination of snap elements and such snap elements are interspersed with hook and loop fastener segments.